Time: 5hr20, with a little bit of sessioning of Triple Step.

Level: 0.55 m (Linne nam Beathach/Victoria Bridge) BUT the level was definitely rising while we were on it and higher than this may suggest due to significant snow melt. This was a much hotter day than the proceeding days.

Weather: 5 - 15 °C, sunny (lovely)

Group: Me, Andy, Aaron, Emma, Ayla

Vibes

Perhaps a little higher than we would've liked. This was a punchy day, but very rewarding. I think the sunny weather was a massive boon.

Features

1. Triple Step - Honestly, a bit mank at this level. Many people relied on braces through triple 1 and then were stuck against the rock on triple 2. This definitely required some set-point safety and generated a good few swims!
2. Letterbox - Go about as far left as you can manage. It wasn't a bad level for letterbox, but the hole was in need of live-bait safety (this was only used for a boat rescue in the end). The siphon should also be considered. I ended up paddling pretty close to the slot without consequence.
3. Ski Jump - Always a blast! Auto-boof fun. Aim to the left of the rock on river right. At this level, the rock was covered by water, but was still somewhat visible as a landmark.
4. Crack of Doom - A rocky lead-in. The line itself was fairly hard to whiff, but also hard to master. There was some disagreement about which side to boof over the lip, suggesting either would work. I opted for a left-hand boof. It's definitely worth having some robust safety in the rock itself.
5. Crack of Dawn - A good sneak line ran to the left, and the flow at the bottom made the landing and turning pretty automatic. For those who didn't fancy running it, there was a decent enough portage spot on the far left, but some help may be required to keep the boat steady.
6. Slides - A little bit meaty at this level, pick you way down and it's mostly read and run. We did have a swim here.
7. Right Angle - This was big water and an intimidating drop. A gentle boof was ideal to carry your momentum out away from the bottom of the drop. We as a club had a couple people get stuck behind the waterfall, these were pulled out using a throwline from the crag at the top of the falls.
8. Hipbreaker - This is the first time I've actually run it, it looked more appealing than it has before at lower levels. I did have my deck implode. The line is to just gun it away from the titular rock. Safety is reasonably straightforward. Paddling the bit after hipbreaker can be taken on river right, but avoid the siphon on far right.

Other Notes

The level did rise due to snow melt and this is definitely something to consider. The day was made considerably more enjoyable by the sunshine, and we chose to do the Allt a' Chaoruinn afterwards.

Level: 0.486 - 0.510 m (Linne nam Beathach)

Weather: 6 °C, raining on and off

Group: Me, Andy L., Ed, Maddy, Amy J.

Vibes

Mostly a fantastic time! Some features may seem a little scary, but there's absolutely something for everyone. THis level made for very pleasant paddling with minimal scraping.

Features

1. Triple Step - Good fun! Triple 1, go through the foamy rooster tail. Triple 2, boof it if you can and a pencil is fine. Triple 3 you want to slam it to the right.
2. Letterbox - Grim at this level. Go far left with speed and hope for the best. Guard the siphon on river right.
3. Ski Jump - About 30 cm left of the rock and then enjoy a delightful auto-boof.
4. Crack of Doom - Awkward lead-in to a narrow "gorgey" setion where you'll want safety.
5. Crack of Dawn - Awkward drop seal launch/portage.
6. Slides - Some fun read and run slides that were a little scrapey in places.
7. Right Angle - Seal launch on the left into the small eddy and then go left on the drop.
8. Hipbreaker - Actually looked possible.

Other Notes

It was definitley worth layering up for this as it can get cold in places.

Weather: ~12 °C and sunny.

Group: Me, Max, Nat, Paddy, Eric, Amy J., Vi

Time: 5hr20

Vibes

A lovely day for a strong group, and a good strech for improving inters. Very tired all round afterwards. Not too much scraping!

Features

1. Triple Step - Rooster tail on triple 1 was just foam. River left after step 2 had an annoying rescue eddy - a line on the opposite side was a good idea.
2. Letterbox Hug the left wall and you'll be fine. The siphon on river right is easily guarded. The feature is a retentive hole, as per usual
3. Ski-Jump - 30 - 40 cm left of the outcrop/ledge. This rock was slightly underwater, but visible. Autoboof.
4. Crack of Doom - Awkward entry, grabby on the rail. Left on entry, left at exit. Consider livebait safety in the crack.
5. Crack of Dawn - Porage seal launch on the left. You could paddle over the portage line (I did). It's an awkward bottleneck for a large group. It's worth holding people as they get in their boats on the seal launch
6. Right Angle - Go slightly left.

Other Notes

Lots of boulder gardens and bimbles to be careful of that can induce swims, especially if people are getting tired. Especially between crack of dawn and right angle.